USPS to open entry to its last-mile delivery network

Dec 31, 2025, 9 AM

By Linn’s Staff

The United States Postal Service has announced that it will provide entry to its last-mile delivery network.

“Shippers large and small will be able to access the more than 18,000 USPS delivery destination units (DDUs) nationwide via a solicitation process that will begin accepting bids in late January or early February 2026,” the Postal Service said in a Dec. 17 press release.

Prior to launching a dedicated bid solicitation platform, the USPS will meet with shippers to determine their level of interest and hone the bidding process based on shippers’ feedback. More details will be provided in the months ahead, the Postal Service said.

“We want to allow customers to custom-build their last mile solution,” Postmaster General David Steiner said. “We want to make the service as convenient, cost-effective and efficient as possible.”

“The Postal Service’s valuable last-mile network can now be our customer’s advantage,” Steiner said. “Our last mile can become our customer’s last mile.”

Recent substantial investments in modernization have significantly boosted the Postal Service’s package processing and delivery capacity. This will allow the USPS to satisfy a much bigger percentage of the country’s shipping needs than it provides now.

The USPS plans to formalize accepted bids using a negotiated service agreement (NSA).

“The [Postal Service] expects to notify winning bidders in the second calendar quarter [of 2026], and service under those NSAs would begin in the third calendar quarter of 2026,” the Postal Service said.

“By changing the way last-mile service is offered, the Postal Service is expanding the reach of retailers and others who value same-day or next-day delivery,” the Postal Service said. “USPS wants to provide a reach that is unparalleled in the history of the United States.”

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